Vice Provost Lucinda Finley

Professor Lucinda M. Finley has informed me of her intention to step down as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, effective at the end of the current academic year, in order to resume her faculty role as a teacher and scholar in the School of Law. In stepping down, Lucinda can be proud of her accomplishments in building strength in the UB faculty – the foundation of a great university. As vice provost, Lucinda enhanced greatly UB’s goals of promoting faculty excellence and recruiting and retaining excellent faculty.

A UB faculty member since 1990, Lucinda became Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs in February 2005. In her nine years of leadership, she has effectively worked with the provost and other senior leaders to align faculty affairs and recruitment with university priorities, and been a dedicated supporter of and resource for UB’s faculty.

Lucinda’s commitment to faculty success, recognition, and development has greatly advanced UB’s mission to achieve academic excellence. She has provided meaningful advice and assistance to faculty members preparing for the promotion and tenure process, improved the clarity and transparency of information about the process, as well as coordinated that process university-wide. She has facilitated the activities of the President’s Review Board – which makes recommendations to the president and provost on matters related to faculty appointments, promotion, and tenure – to ensure its integrity and efficiency. Lucinda’s efforts in facilitating the promotion and tenure process contributed to UB being rated by Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education as an exemplary institution based on our own faculty ratings of that process.

Lucinda’s efforts have extended to enabling recognition of our faculty. Through her role as vice provost she led the nomination process for internal, SUNY and national awards and has worked with deans to increase both nominations and the success of these nominations. She has done this extraordinarily well, and her stewardship efforts have resulted in nearly fifty faculty members being appointed to SUNY’s Distinguished Faculty Ranks during her tenure.

During her tenure as vice provost, Lucinda significantly expanded UB’s new faculty orientation program to better introduce incoming faculty to our university and to prepare them for future professional, scholarly, and teaching success. She created a Department Chair workshop series to similarly prepare new chairs to excel as department leaders.

Lucinda has worked closely with deans and department chairs to help them achieve their faculty recruitment goals and established workshops to provide search committee training, including strategies for diversifying the faculty. She also improved UB’s recruitment process by creating the tremendously popular dual career partner hiring assistance program.

An invaluable resource, mentor and strong advocate for UB’s faculty, Lucinda has done a great deal to establish a culture of trust and transparency at our university. Her accomplishments during her tenure as Vice Provost are exceptional.

Colleagues, please join me in thanking Lucinda for her dedicated service and in wishing her much continued success as she prepares to return fulltime to teaching and scholarly activities.

Later this spring, I will launch an internal search for the next Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.

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